04 Feb 2026 / Singapore

Mandatory submission of Maritime Declaration of Health

Vessels arriving in Singapore from West Bengal or with crew/passengers who have visited West Bengal, must submit a Maritime Declaration of Health (MDH).

According to the National Environmental Agency update dates 30 January 2026, this applies to all arriving vessels that fall into any of the following categories:
(a) Ships that have called at ports in West Bengal (India) in the past 14 days;
or
(b) Ships with crew or passengers who have travelled to West Bengal in the last 14 days.

This is part of Singapore’s precautionary measures against Nipah Virus, and is in addition to the existing MDH requirements for other emerging infectious diseases.

The MDH along with the following documents should be submitted to the Port Health Office (emails [email protected]) 12 hours before arrival at the Port of Singapore:
(a) crew list / passenger list
(b) current copy of the Ship Sanitation Certificate
(c) last 10 ports of call
(d) list of all passengers or crew with temperature above 37.5 degrees Celsius or who are unwell

These documents must be submitted regardless of whether there are any sick passengers or crew onboard. Non-compliance may constitute a breach of the Infectious Diseases (Quarantine) Regulations.

The master of the ship is to implement the following precautionary measures:

  • Educate crew/passengers about the symptoms of Nipah Virus
  • Encourage food personal hygiene practices
  • Conduct temperature checks for all crew/passengers at least twice daily
  • Isolate unwell crew/passengers in separate cabins with dedicated toilet facilities, and disinfect affected areas immediately
  • Disinfect common areas and rooms of the vessel before arrival in Singapore. The disinfection may be conducted by the ship’s crew en route to Singapore.

As the global health situation is dynamic, the mandatory submission of MDH may be extended to ships arriving from other countries not currently listed.

For information about operations in Singapore, contact GAC at [email protected]

If quoting any content from Hot Port News, please cite GAC Hot Port News as the source.

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